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Tracking The Progression Of Defects At The Neuromuscular Junction In Huntington's Disease, Katherine A. Trittschuh
Tracking The Progression Of Defects At The Neuromuscular Junction In Huntington's Disease, Katherine A. Trittschuh
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Huntington’s disease (HD) is a genetic disorder associated with progressive cognitive and motor decline. Recent studies in HD models suggest primary peripheral pathologies arise independent of changes in the central nervous system. Our lab found defects in skeletal muscle occurring early in the progression of disease in transgenic R6/2 HD mice, resulting in membrane hyperexcitability. Additionally, there is evidence of decreased quantal content in late-stage R6/2 mice. Here, we investigate pre-synaptic and post-synaptic function at single neuromuscular junctions (NMJ) to make direct comparisons of disease progression in the muscle membrane and motor nerve terminal. We hypothesize that muscle membrane defects …
Microglia Distribution In The Lateral Ventricles Following Treatment Of Lysolecithin Model Of Multiple Sclerosis, Spencer James Wilson
Microglia Distribution In The Lateral Ventricles Following Treatment Of Lysolecithin Model Of Multiple Sclerosis, Spencer James Wilson
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Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects an estimated one million people in the US alone (Wallin et al., 2019). We modeled MS in rats using lysolecithin injection into the corpus callosum to diminish motor function unilaterally through demyelination, meanwhile treating the injury with Fluoxetine, Ibuprofen, and ascorbic acid (FIAA) to increase neurogenesis and oligodendrogenesis. Motor function was assessed using the Montoya Staircase test pre- and post-surgery. Motor capabilities recovered in the contralateral limb, but not in the ipsilateral, and recovery was not significantly affected by treatment. We identified microglia by CX3CR1 and examined its distribution in the adult neurogenic niche, the SVZ …
Evaluation Of A Monosynaptic Spinal Circuit In Multiple Mouse Models Of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Maura A. Curran
Evaluation Of A Monosynaptic Spinal Circuit In Multiple Mouse Models Of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Maura A. Curran
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease. To date, there are no significant disease-modifying treatments, and one limiting factor in treatment is the amount of time it takes for a patient to receive a diagnosis of ALS. This study examined multiple mouse models before symptom onset to help identify early changes in a reflex circuit of ALS mice. Dorsal root stimulation of the sacral spinal cord in multiple models ALS mouse models showed changes in the resulting ventral root compound action potential amplitude, latency, and ability to maintain synaptic depression. These data also suggest that a mouse model …
Use Of Forelimb Asymmetry In The Analysis Of Cns Recovery From A Demyelination Event, Joseph C. Hinkle
Use Of Forelimb Asymmetry In The Analysis Of Cns Recovery From A Demyelination Event, Joseph C. Hinkle
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Using forelimb asymmetry analysis along with Montoya Staircase methodology we tested how a fluoxetine simvastatin ascorbic acid drug cocktail would affect recovery from a demyelinating event in a rat model, with the hypothesis that if administered then it would help female recovery but hinder male recovery. It was found that a fluoxetine simvastatin and ascorbic acid drug cocktail did not significantly enhance recovery from a demyelination model injury in female rats, and that the same drug cocktail significantly slowed male rat recovery from the same type of injury. It was also apparent that the more effective methodology for investigating this …
Effects Of Fluoxetine/Simvastatin/Ascorbic Acid Combination Treatment On Neurogenesis And Functional Recovery In A Model Of Multiple Sclerosis, Olivia Cameron Webb
Effects Of Fluoxetine/Simvastatin/Ascorbic Acid Combination Treatment On Neurogenesis And Functional Recovery In A Model Of Multiple Sclerosis, Olivia Cameron Webb
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Whereas immune modulation has proven beneficial in multiple sclerosis (MS), we hypothesized that targeting down-stream modulators of neurogenesis and subsequent remyelination may offer an additional, if not superior, point of intervention in an attempt to repair damage and recover lost function. As such, the present study assessed the effectiveness of 30-day administration of the drug combination fluoxetine (5 mg/kg), simvastatin (1 mg/kg), and ascorbic acid (50 mg/kg) (FSA) on an early marker of neurogenesis, doublecortin (DCX), and functional recovery using the Montoya Staircase following lysolecithin-induced focal demyelination of the corpus callosum in middle-aged (10-11 month) male and female rats. Lysolecithin …
A Novel Method For Analysis Of Proprioceptor Sensory Neuron Subtypes In The Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglia, Delaney C. Grant
A Novel Method For Analysis Of Proprioceptor Sensory Neuron Subtypes In The Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglia, Delaney C. Grant
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Proprioceptive sensory neurons encode critical mechanosensory information that helps determine how the body interacts with the outside world and monitors the proper execution of motor movements. Housed in skeletal muscles lie specialized mechanoreceptors that are critical to this feedback loop: muscle spindles supplied by group Ia & group II afferents, and Golgi tendon organs supplied by group Ib afferents relay information regarding changes in muscle force, length, and tension. All three afferent subtypes originate in the muscle and travel to the dorsal root ganglia, relaying information to the central nervous system. GTO and MS proprioceptive afferent subtypes have been identified, …
Exploring The Impact Of Affective Processing On Visual Perception Of Large-Scale Spatial Environments, Auroabah S. Almufleh
Exploring The Impact Of Affective Processing On Visual Perception Of Large-Scale Spatial Environments, Auroabah S. Almufleh
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This thesis explores the interaction between emotions and visual perception using large scale spatial environment as the medium of this interaction. Emotion has been documented to have an early effect on scene perception (Olofsson, Nordin, Sequeira, & Polich, 2008). Yet, most popularly-used scene stimuli, such as the IAPS or GAPED stimulus sets often depict salient objects embedded in naturalistic backgrounds, or “events” which contain rich social information, such as human faces or bodies. And thus, while previous studies are instrumental to our understanding of the role that social-emotion plays in visual perception, they do not isolate the effect of emotion …
Protocol Development And Optimization For Rnls Mouse Characteristic Assessment, Hasan Farid
Protocol Development And Optimization For Rnls Mouse Characteristic Assessment, Hasan Farid
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Protocol development and optimization are vital in the scientific method process. By having accurate protocols, one can properly assess the characteristics of their animal model for any given experiment. One animal newly adopted in our lab was the novel regulatable nuclear localization sequence (rNLS) mouse model. This novel mouse model displays symptoms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), after the accumulation of the hTDP-43 (TAR DNA-binding protein 43) aggregate in the central nervous system. The expression of this protein occurs after the removal of deoxycycline from the mouse’s food source. Once the removal of the drug, this …